The area of multiparty gaming is currently expanding from the fixed console and PC domain to mobile devices. Playing games with multiple partners implies some communications between the players in order to agree on a game, its options, the roles of the participants and teams. This document focuses on the initiation phase of a multiparty game and outlines a simple and fast approach to start a game. It can be best applied in the mobile domain, but is not limited to mobile devices.
Multiparty gaming is currently existing in two different domains:                First, in the stationary console and PC gaming business multiparty gaming translates to LAN and Internet-based games, where a game server collects the request from the various game clients and informs the participants about their status. Typically, a lobby room is used to collect the participants before entering the game. The game server hosts the game and can transfer game data to the connected clients.        Second, presently available mobile game consoles can be physically interconnected by linking cables, which require that the members of a game party are actually present. Thus, the game party can talk about the available electronic games and can decide by vocal negotiation about the game to be played. Certain games do not need to be installed on each connected device as long as one terminal can deliver the content via the link cables to the others. Special game modes can only be played with multiple game cartridges.        
In case of multi-player gaming in a wireless environment said gaming partners may not even be within a distance in which a technically unassisted vocal communication is possible.
The document EP 1066868 A2 ‘Multi-player Game System using mobile telephone and game units’ filed by the applicant discloses an electronic game system between different mobile game units. The connection between the game units may be provided via a public land mobile network or via short-range radio connections. The document discloses the setup of connections for wireless multi-player gaming. In the disclosed scenario the terminal devices can search or scan for actually running games in a limited area.
All the above approaches for a multi-player game party setup have in common that they are not suitable for the use with wirelessly connected or mobile terminal devices, as a communication and negotiation necessary to find a game partner cannot be provided by the conventional systems.